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Although numerous rockers have borrowed from fantasy lore, few have genuinely embodied the enchanted way of life. Admittedly, they may decorate their album sleeves with monsters, goblins, chained damsels and muscular warriors, but did a member ever have to recover a missing unicorn horn from a snowy field in the midst of winter? Did a guitarist taken the time straining their eyes in the back of a tour bus, repairing their own metal mesh?

Immersed in the Legend

Established in 2019, Brooklyn’s Castle Rat have encountered both these scenarios and others as they embody their grand tales. Starting with knightly, earworm-heavy songs to eye-popping concerts, costume design, music videos and cover artwork, they’re more than a metal band as a full immersive experience.

“Castle Rat wasn’t meant to be a costumed concept band,” states vocalist, guitar player, sword-carrier and visionary Riley Pinkerton as the musicians’ transport speeds from a full-capacity concert in a German city to another in Aschaffenburg – they are playing several shows in the UK currently. “We played two shows and were scheduled on a spooky event, where I made a last-minute decision to dress up. The entire setup was completely self-made, but we had so much fun and the energy was unforgettable. I thought, ‘What if we could have so much excitement always?’”

The Band’s Evolution

From that point on, the ensemble – which features Pinkerton as the “Queen Rat” joined by a plague doctor (bass player), haughty vampire (guitarist) and enigmatic nature priest (drummer) – continued forward. The new record, the group’s sophomore release, brings to mind of classic metal icons joining forces to fight their path through a heroic art landscape – a heroic opus that sets them on the edge of far grander things.

The release was a first for Pinkerton in that she opened the floor to her bandmates. “This helped a much better record,” she says of the collaborative process. “It was challenging at first – I’d always felt a specific level of accomplishment being a woman in music going it alone. I’ve had numerous occasions where I’ve got off stage and a person will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I respond, ‘Listen – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

As their fame has grown, so has the scope of their production design. “The saying I live by is always that if something is valuable, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. She was originally on path for a art school education before balking at the prospect of heavy loans. “The exciting part about Castle Rat is there’s so many different ways to express artistry,” she says. “From crafting disguises, costume design, learning how to edit clips … these are all things I am unfamiliar with, but it’s fun to discover as we go.”

Even though developing the group’s detailed mythology (“People are encouraging me to write it down because all the ideas are,” Riley says, tapping her head) and making clothing were insufficient, the vocalist self-educated how to create armor – a challenging endeavor, though she confessedly entrusted her completely original scale armor design to a New York-based specialist. “It seems like actual armour,” she smiles proudly.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

What about the crowd? They embraced the theatrical gore, toy blades and papier-mache rat skulls with similar excitement as the band. “We played a concert in the Motor City and it looked like a historical festival,” recalls Riley with affection. “The whole crowd was in robes, animal hides, metal wear.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that traveling lifestyle as sword’n’sorcery vagabonds has been smooth. “Everything is constantly breaking and gets duct-taped together,” Riley says. “Moreover I get countless concepts as to how I want things to look, but we are on the move in a bus with limited room. It’s an interesting challenge to create the impression like a larger-than-life story, then pack it down into minimal luggage.”

There have been additional practical issues that would never have plagued fictional warriors. “We did have an ‘uh-oh’ moment when we played SonicBlast festival in the European country and my suitcase – which had my weapon in it – was misplaced,” says Riley. “That was a worst-case scenario, because we don’t have an different option of the concert where I am without a weapon.”

Goals Ahead

In the spirit of a hero, Riley is gung-ho about the days to come. “I want to go all the way – let’s do stadiums,” she says. “The main aspect that’s deeply meaningful to me is preserving the self-crafted look, ensuring each detail is crafted by us. This is a feature I want to remain faithful to, no matter what we grow into. Additionally, I wish to make an entrance on a unicorn at all performances. You know how some artists do the motorcycle thing? That, but on a mythical creature.”